What is Consciousness?

An age old question. Brain Science has tried and failed to answer this one adequately. The truth is we are not fully able to articulate just what consciousness IS, but we sure know it when we see it!

For decades, science has tried to quietly ignore consciousness, andyet, all science is rooted in consciousness. Science has never beenable to explain why we experience subjective consciousness, and hasleft this question to religion, philosophy and psychology to answer.But with the development of quantum physics and brain research, sciencehas been butting up into the question of consciousness.

Yet, every single individual human alive has the subjectiveexperience of consciousness. Why? What is the point (if any) ofconsciousness?

Religion tells us that we were given awareness and Free Will inorder to make choices that please a jealous and disciplinarian God.Philosophy offers many possible explanations, but no proofs, as doespsychology, too. Physical science tries to explain away consciousnessas an epiphenomena of brain function, while Quantum Science entertainsfar more mysterious possible explanations, but still no concrete proofof what consciousness IS much less what purpose it fulfills.

Psychologist Charles Tart tells us that ordinary consciousness is aconstruct - not a natural occurence. Rather, Tart says, Ordinary orwhat is often called "Consensus Reality," selects the consensus of ourculture in an arbitrary and mysterious process not yet explained byscience, even after 50 years of research.

So what's the big bug-a-boo about consciousness?

Only that it is all-pervasive. Nowhere can you escape your ownconsciousness. All science is performed by conscious beings andreceived by conscious beings for the purported benefit of consciousbeings. Even these words I now write are written by a conscious beingand read by YOU - a conscious being. There is no escapingconsciousness. In fact, our definition of death is "lack ofconsciousness." So it seems that it would behoove us to betterunderstand just WTF it is.

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave a comment in the box below.